Machine for molding bread loaves



March 16 1926-. 1,577,130

. R. J. LABEYRIE ET AL MACHINE FOR MOLDING BREAD LOAVES Filed Jan. 1923A Tramway Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicn.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING-BREAD LOAVES.

Application filed January 18, 1923. Serial No. 613,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RAYMOND J. Lenny- RIE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Torrington, county of Litchfield,

and State of Connecticut, and FRANK A.

.- so-called Vienna type.

One object of this invention is to provide a device of the above naturewhich will be simple, cheap to manufacture, and very efficient anddurable in use.

With this and other objects in view,there has been illustrated ontheaccompanying drawing one form in which the invention may be convenientlyembodied in practice.

Fig. 1 represents a side view of the complete machine, with certainparts shown in section for greater clearness. i

'Fig. 2 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of one end of thebread molding machine, showing the shaper plate for tapering the ends ofthe loaves.

'Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of the shaper plate. p c

Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the shaper plate.

In the manufacture of bread loaves in the past, it has been foundimpossible to produce, mechanically, loaves of the so-called Viennastyle havin tapered ends. Consequently the price of such loaves isunnecessarily high owing to the excessive labor cost.

According to the present invention, the

above and other disadvantages have been avoided. This has beenaccomplished by providing a machine which will first sheet the lumps ofbread dough, which will then coil the dough sheets into cylindricalcoils, and which will finally taper the ends of said coils.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views, the sheeting andcoiling part of the deviceccm prises a front casing consisting ofa base10, a pair of side frames 11 and 12, said side frames being cut away at13 and having legs 14 connected by brace members 1 1 A conical hopper 15is provided at the top of the casing, and is adapted to receive weighedlumps of bread dough, which may be fed in rapid succession. Directlvbelow the hopper 15 are a pair of upper rolls 16 and 17, said rollsbeing adapted toreceive the lumps of dough fed through the hopper, andsheet them to any desired extent.

After the lumps of dough have been sheeted by the rolls 16 and 17, theypass downwardly between the lower sheeting rolls 18 and 19. The sheetsof dough are then delivered to a transfer roll 20 and fed to the coilingmechanism. The coiling mechanism comprises a pair of pulleys 21 and 22rotating in the same direction, both pulleys being journaled between theside frames 12 and 13. The pulley 22 is located at a somewhat higherelevation than the pulley 21 in order 7 to raise the cylindrical lumpsof dough above the tapering attachment, to be here'- inafter' more fullydescribed. An endless belt 23, of fabric or any other suitable material,is mounted to travel around the pulleys. 21 and 22. A guide plate 2 f issupported between the side plates 11 and 12 in any suitable manner, asby brackets 24 The guide plate 2% has a central flat portion and apairof curved end portions arranged equidistant from the correspondingportion of the belt 23, and in order to prevent the bread loaves fromdropping'over the edges of the belt 23, the guideplate is provided witha pair of downwardly depending side flanges 25 and 26. I p V The sheetsof bread dough are cally fed from thetransfer roll opening between thebelt 23 and plate 24, said transfer roll being automati- 20 to the theguide so located with res 3130i to said 0 oenin that the dough sheetswill rolled up into the form of cylindrical coils, said coils beingthereafter thoroughly kneaded, as they continuously roll over and overbetween the belt 23 and plate 2% when being carried along by. theconveyor belt 23, in the direction indicated by the arrow, vFig. 1.Below the end of the pulley 22 and guide plate 2 1, a deflecting plate27 is provided, said deflecting plate being secured in rigid positionbetween the side plates 11 and 12 by means of angle brackets 28 and 29.The deflecting plate 27 is adapted to receive the loaves as the dropfrom the end of the conveyor belt 23,

and direct them upon a conveyor belt 30. The conveyor belt tilt isdriven in the direction indi-ated by a pair of pulleys 31 and 3:2, asclearly shown in Fig. 1.. The pulleys 31 and 3:3 are journaled within apair of side plates 33 and 3 1- forming a rear extension casing. Theside plates 33 and are supported upon the tront lasing in any suitablemanner, as by means of a pair of brace bars 35. Each brace bar isjournaled at one end upon a shaft E i-l outside the pulley 39 and on itsother end upon a cross rod ac mounted in the side plates ll and ot the.lront casing.

in order to collect the completely shaped loaves as they drop l'reni theend of the couveyor belt 30, a receptacle 37 is provided at the end ofthe apparatus, said receptacle be ing located slightly lJGlOW the pulley35.2. The receptacle 37 has its front and rear edges inclined outwardly,and secured at its bottom to the side plates 33 and 31- at the rearcasino, by means of a pair of attaching strips :10. The rear casing: istor their secured to the front casing by means oi? a pair 01 pivotedhook members 41 adapted to engage over pins 1-2 on said frontcasing.

The pulleys 1G, 17, 18, 19, 20, E21, 252, 31, and 232 are adapted to berotated in the di rections indicated in Fig. 1 by any suitable drivingmeans. not shown.

The device for converting the cylindrical lumps delivered to the belt 30front the belt comprises a shaper plate 4-3 adapted to be located abovesaid belt 30. The shaper plate -13 has a tlat top face 11- and a pair01? converging side edges 15, a6, its front edge 17 being spaced a shortdistance from the deflector 2?. The converging side edges -15, 16, andthe front edge L7 of the shaper plate -13 are preferably beveled ontheir under sides in order to eliminate sharp edges which n'iig'ht catchin the dough. The bottom surface o1 the shaper plate 4:3, between theconverging side edges 15 and 616, is entirely flat. Between its parallelrear side edges -18 and 19, however, the shaper plate 13 is providedwith a pair of downwardly inclined wedge-shaped sections 60 and ll'henproducing a loal oi" the smallest size of which the machine is capable,the rear edges 51 of said wedge-shaped sections and 51 are adapted torest upon or slightly above the conveyor belt 210. Between thewedgeshaped sections 50 and 51, the rear bottom surface of the shaperplate 13 is coneaveyeaid concave section having substantially the shapeof an ellipse.

The top of the shaper plate 4:3 is detachably supported in positionabove the conveyor belt 30 by three hooks 52, 5 1, 55. The front hook issecured to said plate -13 by means of a sup 'iorting block 53, while therear hooks and 55 are directly secured to the plate 43, preferably byrivets as shown,

In order to support the hooks 52, 5-1:, no of the shaper plate -13, apair of cross rods 5t; and 57 are mounted in hearing blocks 58 and 59,said bearing blocks being'secured in any desired manner to the sideplates 33 and ill. Rig-idly carried by the cross rods 56 and 5? adjacentthe center thereof are a pair 01 spaced lever brackets (30 and 61, saidbracl ets 60 and 61 having side lugs (32 and as respectively. The lugs62 are provided with alined apertures to receive a relatively short pin(it, while the lugs ()3 have similar alined apertures to receive arelatively long pin on. As will be clear from Fig. i), the short pin(iii: is detachably seated within the front book 52, while the ends ofthe relatively long pin as; are adapted to extend under the rear hooltsFri: and

in order to permit the sha per plate it-3 to be readily adjusted up anddown with respect to the conveyor belt 30, a pair of lever arms so and67 are provided, said arms 66 and 67 having their upper ends slotted at(38 and 69 respectively, and being" secured in rigid relation betweenthe pairs of lever brackets (32, (52, and (33, (33, respectively. Anadjusting rod 70 tits within the slots (38 and 69 and is connectedthereto by pins 71 and 72. The rear of the adjusting rod 70 is providedwith a hand knob 73 and has an interme diate threaded section Telscrewed within a threaded block T5. The threaded block 75 is mountedupon a rod '76 which, rigidly secured at its ends to a pair 01upstanding ears 7'? on the side plates 33 and 341-.

In operation, the bread dough will first be weighed out in masses ofequal weight, and the luinps will then be dropped successively into thehopper 15. The hopper 15 will guide the lumps of dough between the rolls16 and. 17, which together with the roll 18 will flatten them out intosheets. The. sheets of dough will then be delivered to the transfer roll520 from which they will be passed to the conveyor belt 23. The conveyorbelt 23 will carry them under the guide plate 21:, thereby rolling saidsheets into cylindrical coils and carrying; t aid coils along until theydrop all the conveyor belt 23 and are deflected by the plate 27 to theconveyor belt 30. Each cylindrical roll of dough will be drawn forwardon the belt 30 under the extension shaper plate 13 whereby the loaf isrolled down. into the desired tapered or Vienna shape. The completedloaves drop oil the end of the conveyor belt and are collected in thereceptacle 31 from which they may be taken to the ovens for bakingwhenever desired.

\Vhile there has been disclosed in this specification one form in whichthe invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form isshown for the purpose of illustration only, and; that the invention isnot to be limited to the specific disclosure but may bemodified andembodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. Inshort, the invention includes all the modifications and embodimentscoming within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new, andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

In a machine for producing bread loaves having conical ends, a frame, aconveyor belt mounted to travel in said frame and adapted to receivesuccessive,v lumps of dough, a shaper plate mounted in said frame abovesaid belt, said plate havinga lower generally flat face with a rearcentral concave portion which increases gradually both in depth andwidth from the front to the rear, the surface of the plate beingimperforate, and said plate having a shallow recess in the rear edgethereof, said concave portion merging into said recess, the rear portionof said plate lying between said concave portion and the sides of theplate being wedge-shaped in longitudinal cross section.

In testimony whereof, we have affixed our signatures to thisspecification.

RAYMOND J LABEYRIE. FRANK A. IAVAGNILIO.

